Rihanna's primate photo leads to arrests in Thailand

(USA Today) --While on a break from her Diamonds World Tour, Rihanna spent a weekend at the beach in Thailand.

At a stop in Phuket, she posted a photo on Instagram of herself in sunglasses, with a furry primate known as the slow loris perched on her shoulder. "Look who was talkin dirty to me!" the pop star tweeted.

The animal, which is native to Southeast Asia, is listed as a protected species, according to the Associated Press.

Authorities, who apparently follow badgalriri on Instagram or at least have tipsters who do, arrested two people - a man, 20, and a boy, 16 - who provided the loris for the photo opp, Phuket district chief Weera Kerdsirimongkon told AP on Sunday.

The man and teen face a penalty of up to four years in prison and a 40,000 baht ($1,300) fine.

Weera said authorities are constantly trying to crack down on vendors who exploit wildlife by offering them up to tourists who will pay to pose with elephants, orangutans and other animals.

"It's like a cat-and-mouse game. But this time it's bigger because a celebrity like Rihanna posted the picture, and there were more than 200,000 'likes' from around the world," he said.

But by the time the two were arrested, Rihanna's ship had sailed. She went on to share an artsy shot of herself in a black bikini on a boat surrounded by turquoise water with cliffs in the distance.